Display device

ABSTRACT

Hinge and separator structure for accommodating vertically stacked layers of merchandise adjacent a back panel. The hinge is a flat spring element having a transverse bend and secured to the back panel and the separator in such a way that it is movable to a horizontal position between vertical layers, and to a position exposing the lower layer when the upper layer of merchandise is removed. The separator may include a hinged portion and means for increasing the longitudinal rigidity of the rear portion only.

United States Patent Taber Sept. 5, 1972 1 DISPLAY DEVICE [72] Inventor:Russell E. Taber, 501 Dogw0od Valley Drive, NE, Atlanta, Ga. 30305 [22]Filed: Dec. 16, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 98,633

[52] US. Cl ..211/49 S [51] Int. Cl. ..A47f 7/00 [58] Field of Search..211/49 S; 248/291; 108/111, 108/59 [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 3,161,158 12/1964 Lurey ..211/49SX 1,463,358 7/1923 Cordes..248/291 2,637,445 5/1953 Patterson ..21 1 I49 S 2,852,143 9/1958 Taber..211/49 S 3,433,445 3/1969 Downing ..248/291 2,928,551 3/1960 Abrams..211/49 S 3,151,576 10/1964 Patterson ..108/111 X Primary Examiner-NileC. Byers, Jr. Att0rney--Melville, Strasser, Foster & Hoffman ABSTRACTHinge and separator structure for accommodating vertically stackedlayers of merchandise adjacent a back panel. The hinge is a flat springelement having a transverse bend and secured to the back panel and theseparator in such a way that it is movable to a horizontal positionbetween vertical layers, and to a position exposing the lower layer whenthe upper layer of merchandise is removed. The separator may include ahinged portion and means for increasing the longitudinal rigidity of therear portion only.

11 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures DISPLAY DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a display device arranged to accommodatevertically stacked layers of merchandise. Generally speaking, prior artdevices of two distinct types have achieved widespread commercialsuccess. On the one hand, the units disclosed in US. Pat No. 2,85 2,143entitled DISPLAY DEVICE in the name of Russell E. Taber, contemplatesthe securing of a plurality of self-recoiling rolls of Mylar or the liketo a back panel. When these rolls are uncoiled to a generally flat,horizontal position, they act as a separator between adjacent verticalstacks of merchandise. That is, the self-recoiling roll (sometimescalled spring roll shelving) does not actually carry the weight of theproduct stacked upon it. The plastic material actually rests upon thelayer of the merchandise below it, so that the material performs more ofa stabilizing function between vertical tiers than a load carryingfunction.

The spring roll shelving of the Taber patent is ordinarily very thin,and has substantially no rigidity. Thus, while the spring roll shelvingof the Taber patent is entirely satisfactory for use with soft drinksand the like packaged in six-bottle carriers, it is not well adapted forthe display of bottled products having a relatively large bottom and arather small top, such as soft drinks or the like in quart bottles,bleach, and so forth.

A second device achieving commercial success according to the prior artis taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,637,445 in the name of Lawrence W.Patterson and entitled DISPLAY RACK FOR BOTTLED GOODS. This patentteaches a structure including a back panel to which a number of shelvingunits are hinged. As merchandise is removed from any given shelf, theempty shelf is spring urged to a generally vertical position against thepanel.

This patent again contemplates that each of the shelves actually restsupon the merchandise below it, so that the shelf is not required tocarry the full weight of the merchandise stacked upon it.-Clearly,however, the shelf units according to the Patterson patent aresubstantially more rigid than the spring roll shelving of the Taberpatent.

Devices according to the general teachings of the Patterson patent arerelatively expensive to construct and maintain. It will be apparent thatvariations in size of the device and/or merchandise call for variationsin spring strength, shelf size, and so forth. None of these changes canconveniently be made by personnel on location. In addition, the deviceaccording to this patent is essentially designed for used with a singlesize of merchandise. That is, the pivot pointbetween the shelf memberand the back panel must be precisely located with respect to themerchandise carried by the device. The feature of adjustability can beprovided mechanically, but is expensive, requires careful adjustment,and in may instances is unsatisfactory.

Keeping the foregoing comments in mind, it is an object of the instantinvention to provide a display device which will accommodate a largequantity of a wide range of different sized merchandise, and willdisplay the merchandise so that it is continually available to thecustomer without obstructing shelves and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention, broadly considered, relates toa display device for vertically stacked merchandise including agenerally vertical back panel and a plurality of semi-rigid or rigidstack separatorshingedly secured to the back panel and movable to agenerally horizontal position supported from below by the tops of afirst layer of merchandise and maintained in the horizontal position bya second layer of merchandise carried on the separator element. Thehinge securing the separator to the back panel is designed to normallyurge the separator element to a vertical position against the backpanel, thereby exposing the layer of merchandise below the separator.

The hinge structure of this invention contemplates a flat spring elementhaving a transverse bend. The spring element is secured to the backpanel and to the separator element so as to place a portion of thespring under tension to effect the normal biasing thereof.

The separator elements according to this invention may include twoelements hingedly secured together along a line parallel to the backpanel, so that when the shelf element swings upwardly toward thevertical position, the outer portion of the separator may fold backagainst the rear portion.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a semi-rigid stackseparator with means for increasing the longitudinal rigidity of only aportion of the total separator element.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing oneseparator element and the hinge structure according to this invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view showing three separate separatorelements secured to a back panel.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hinge structure according to thisinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The general arrangement of thedisplay device of this invention can best be understood by referringfirst to FIG. 2. The device of this invention includes a base surface(not shown) upon which the lowermost layer or tier of merchandise 10 maybe arranged, and a generally vertical back panel 12. It will of coursebe understood that in many instances, the base for supporting thelowermost layer of merchandise may in fact be the ordinary floor of thebuilding in which the device is utilized. Similarly, the back panel 12may be any generally vertical surface, such as the wall of the store orbuilding, or the end wall of a conventional cabinet. It will becomeapparent hereinafter that the base serves to carry the weight of themerchandise, and the back panel provides both an abutment against whichthe vertical tiers can be stacked, as well as a surface to which theseparators of this invention may be hingedly secured.

FIG. 2 shows three semi-rigid stack separators indicated generally atl4, l6, and 18, each of which is hingedly secured to the back panel 12.It will be observed that the lower most separator 14 is in a generallyhorizontal position. As indicated by the full line showing, it isresting upon the top of the lowermost layer of merchandise 10. It willbe understood that the separator element will be held in this positionby a second layer of merchandise stacked upon the separator 14.

As will be explained in more detail hereinafter, the hinge structure iseffective to normally bias each of the separator elements to a generallyvertical position against the back panel. For example, it will beobserved that the separator element 16 is in the full vertical position,while the separator 18 has been biased upwardly, but cannot reach thefull vertical position because of the overhanging fixed shelf 20.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, the individual stack separators will besecured to the back panel by means of the spring hinge indicatedgenerally at 22. It will be seen in these Figures that the hinge isprovided with a transverse end 24. In the embodiment shown, the bend isapproximately 90 with a relatively small radius. The included angle ofthe bend 24 may vary within a relatively broad range. Empiricalinvestigations have established that an included angle of at least about80 and not more than about 135 will be satisfactory.

It has been discovered that the utilization of such a transverse bendwill greatly increase the force of the spring material effective to urgethe separator toward the vertical position. This makes'it possible toutilize substantially lighter gauge spring material than would bepossible with an ordinary flat spring element. In addition, the use ofsuch lighter material with the transverse bend will reduce the radiusfrom the fastening point on the back panel when the separator is biasedto the horizontal position. This is highly advantageous in that a largeradius may tend to tilt the rearmost articles in the bottom layer ofmerchandise to a hazardous angle.

A variety of materials will be satisfactory for the spring hinge of thisinvention. For general commercial use, high grade stainless steel isvery satisfactory. Exemplary devices utilizing 0.008 inch type 302stainless steel have proven very satisfactory. From the practicalstandpoint, a bend 24 can be cold formed in such material withoutspecial tools or the like.

The radius of the bend 24 will also affect the upward force of thespring element. For example, a very small radius (1/16 inch or less)will provide a substantial increase in the upward force, while a largerradius (k inch) will provide a lesser force suitable for lighter orshorter separators, and/or light weight merchandise which might bedislodged if the separator was under high tension.

As seen in FIG. 3, the spring hinge element 22 may be trapezoidal inshape. It will be observed that the bend 24 is parallel to the bases ofthe trapezoid, and

that the smaller base of the trapezoid is secured to the separator shownin dashed lines.

Referring again to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the spring element 22 isfastened to the back panel 12 and each of the separator elements 14, 16,and 18 so as to stress the portion of the spring element on each side ofthe bend 24 in a direction opposite to the bend. Thus, as will beapparent from a consideration of the three separators shown in thisfigure, the hinge spring element is effective to normally bias theseparator upwardly toward the vertical position.

It will be recalled that near the outset of this specification, thestack separator elements were described as semi-rigid It will also berecalled that these separator elements perform a stabilizing functionrather than a load carrying function as such. To this end, the separatorelements may be formed from a wide variety of materials. For example,0.030 inch thick vinyl plastic has been found perfectly satisfactory forcommercial use. While this material is flexible, it is substandiallymore rigid than the material contemplated in the Taber patent referredto earlier.

In some circumstances, the semi-rigid separators and hinge structure ofthis invention may be used beneath permanent shelving of one kind oranother. In such as case, as seen in FIG. 2, the flexible characteristicof the separator will permit it to be biased upwardly into a positionpartly underlying the fixed shelf. In this particular instance, or inany other situation utilizing relatively long separator elements, it isdesirable to increase the longitudinal rigidity of the rear end of theseparator. This may be accomplished by means of the bends 26 and 28 inthe separator 30 shown in FIG. 1. It will be seen that these bends runfrom a side edge of the separator to the rear edge.

Still another form of the separator element is exemplified by theelement 16 in FIG. 2. The element 16 includes a rear portion 32 and anouter or front portion 34 hingedly secured together with strong tape 36.Thus, when the spring hinge 22 biases the separator element upwardly,the outer portion 34 will fold backwardly against the portion 32. Thisparticular arrangement can. conveniently be utilized beneath rigid,overhanging shelves.

It is believed that the foregoing constitutes a full and completedisclosure of this invention, and no limita tions are to be inferred orimplied except as specifically set forth in the claims that follow.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a display device for stabilizing stacked merchandise including aback panel, at least one stack separator hingedly secured to said backpanel and movable to a generally horizontal position supported frombelow by the tops of a first layer of merchandise and maintained in saidgenerally horizontal position by a second layer of merchandise carriedthereon,- and means biasing said separator to a position exposing saidfirst layer of merchandise only when said second layer of merchandise isremoved; the improved structure comprising:

a. a flat spring element having a transverse bend extending across saidelement;

b. means securing an edge of said element parallel to said bend to saidback panel; and

c. means spaced from said first mentioned means for securing theopposite edge of said spring element to the rear edge of said separator.

2. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the included angleof said transverse bend is at least 80 and not more than 135.

3. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring elementis of stainless steel.

4. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said transversebend is cold formed.

5. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said means forsecuring said spring element to said back panel and said means forsecuring said spring element to said separator are effective to stressthe portions of said spring element on each side of said bend in adirection opposite to said bend. v

6. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring elementis trapezoidal in shape, said transverse bend being parallel to thebases of said trapezoid and the larger base of said trapezoid beingsecured to said back panel.

7. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said separatorincludes two portions hingedly secured together along a line parallel tosaid back panel.

8. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said separatorincludes means for increasing the longitudinal rigidity of only the rearportion thereof, said means comprising at least one bend in saidseparator, said bend extending from a side edge thereof to the rear edgethereof.

9. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the radius of saidtransverse bend is not more than about b inch.

10. In a display device for stabilizing stacked merchandise including aback panel, at least one stack separator hingedly secured to said backpanel and movable to a generally horizontal position supported frombelow by the tops of a first layer of merchandise and maintained in saidgenerally horizontal position by a second layer of merchandise carriedthereon, and means for biasing said separator to a position exposingsaid first layer of merchandise only when said second layer ofmerchandise is removed; the improved structure comprising a firstseparator portion hingedly secured to said back panel; a secondseparator portion; and hinge means securing said first and secondseparator portions together along a line parallel to said back panel,whereby when said first separator portion is biased upwardly, saidsecond separator portion will fold'back toward the underside of saidfirst separator portion. I

11. The improved structure claimed in claim 10 for hingedly securingsaid separator to said back panel comprising a spring element, atransverse bend in said element spaced from the edges thereof, meanssecuring an edge of said element parallel to said bend to said backpanel, and means spaced from said first mentioned means for securing theopposite edge of said spring element to the rear edge of said separator.

1. In a display device for stabilizing stacked merchandise including aback panel, at least one stack separator hingedly secured to said backpanel and movable to a generally horizontal position supported frombelow by the tops of a first layer of merchandise and maintained in saidgenerally horizontal position by a second layer of merchandise carriedthereon, and means biasing said separator to a position exposing saidfirst layer of merchandise only when said second layer of merchandise isremoved; the improved structure comprising: a. a flat spring elementhaving a transverse bend extending across said element; b. meanssecuring an edge of said element parallel to said bend to said backpanel; and c. means spaced from said first mentioned means for securingthe opposite edge of said spring element to the rear edge of saidseparator.
 2. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein theincluded angle of said transverse bend is at least 80* and not more than135* .
 3. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said springelement is of stainless steel.
 4. The improved structure claimed inclaim 1 wherein said transverse bend is cold formed.
 5. The improvedstructure claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for securing said springelement to said back panel and said means for securing said springelement to said separator are effective to stress the portions of saidspring element on each side of said bend in a direction opposite to saidbend.
 6. The improved structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said springelement is trapezoidal in shape, said transverse bend being parallel tothe bases of said trapezoid and the larger base of said trapezoid beingsecured to said back panel.
 7. The improved structure claimed in claim 1wherein said separator includes two portions hingedly secured togetheralong a line parallel to said back panel.
 8. The improved structureclaimed in claim 1 wherein said separator includes means for increasingthe longitudinal rigidity of only the rear portion thereof, said meanscomprising at least one bend in said separator, said bend extending froma side edge thereof to the rear edge thereof.
 9. The improved structureclaimed in claim 1 wherein the radius of said transverse bend is notmore than about 1/2 inch.
 10. In a display device for stabilizingstacked merchandise including a back panel, at least one stack separatorhingedly secured to said back panel and movable to a generallyhorizontal position supported from below by the tops of a first layer ofmerChandise and maintained in said generally horizontal position by asecond layer of merchandise carried thereon, and means for biasing saidseparator to a position exposing said first layer of merchandise onlywhen said second layer of merchandise is removed; the improved structurecomprising a first separator portion hingedly secured to said backpanel; a second separator portion; and hinge means securing said firstand second separator portions together along a line parallel to saidback panel, whereby when said first separator portion is biasedupwardly, said second separator portion will fold back toward theunderside of said first separator portion.
 11. The improved structureclaimed in claim 10 for hingedly securing said separator to said backpanel comprising a spring element, a transverse bend in said elementspaced from the edges thereof, means securing an edge of said elementparallel to said bend to said back panel, and means spaced from saidfirst mentioned means for securing the opposite edge of said springelement to the rear edge of said separator.